Madalinski v. St. Alexius Medical Center

**Madalinski v. St. Alexius Medical Center: Attorney Fees in Wrongful Termination Case** This case involved a wrongful termination lawsuit where an employee sued St. Alexius Medical Center and won a $5.75 million settlement. After the victory, the employee's attorney requested extraordinary legal fees totaling about $1.9 million (one-third of the settlement), which was higher than the standard fee schedule that would have awarded $1.2 million. The trial court denied the attorney's request for the higher fees and stuck with the lower amount under the standard fee schedule. However, the appellate court disagreed and sent the case back to the trial court, ruling that the lower court failed to properly consider whether the attorney deserved the extraordinary fees based on the complexity and success of the case. **What this means for workers:** When employees win significant wrongful termination cases, their attorneys may be entitled to higher fees than normal, especially in complex cases that result in large settlements. This ruling helps ensure that skilled attorneys will take on difficult employment cases by allowing courts to award appropriate fees. Workers benefit because attorneys are more likely to represent them in challenging wrongful termination cases when they can receive fair compensation for their work.